The game of golf brings up a lot of feelings for the average player. For most of us, it’s usually a mix of nerves, excitement, anger, frustration, pure joy, and about every other emotion a human can feel. Euphoria can quickly replace dysphoria before you even know what happened.
If you’ve been playing the game for any amount of time, chances are you know that golf is a roller coaster. One minute you make birdie and the next you’re trying to find your ball in the woods and end up with a double bogey.
That’s just golf.
While being nervous from time to time is normal, too many nerves can ruin your game. In fact, you’ve probably asked yourself, “How do I calm my golf nerves?”
If so, don’t worry because you’re not alone. In this post, I’ll teach you why nerves aren’t a bad thing and 11 strategies to chill out and have more fun each round.
Golf Nerves – 11 Ways to Calm Down and Start Playing Better Fast
Before diving into some of the best ways to calm your nerves, I want to address something important. So many players think that they’re the only ones that get hands shaking nervous on the course.
But it’s just not true.
Being nervous is completely normal on the golf course and in any sport. It’s part of what makes playing the game so much fun.
Nerves during the round make you feel alive!
Heck, half the reason I play in competitive events is that I love the feeling that it gives me. It makes me feel like I’m about to jump out of a plane, go scuba diving, or some other extreme sport.
Second, everyone gets these feelings. I don’t care what anyone tells you, everybody feels nervous on the golf course. Even the best players in the world who have been playing their entire lives.
In fact, I remember Tiger once saying that he still gets nervous too. Imagine being the greatest player in the history of the game and still getting nervous.
But he loves it! In the same interview, I heard him say that he’s glad he’s nervous because it means he cares. And if he doesn’t ever feel those butterflies on the first tee, he’ll give up tournament golf.
Hopefully, that alone will make you realize that you’re not alone. Now, let’s get into some strategies to reduce stress on the golf course so you can play better and have more fun.
Reframe Nerves on the Golf Course
Once again I want to reiterate, getting nervous on the golf course is okay. It’s completely normal and you need to learn how to welcome it instead of thinking of these feelings as a bad thing.
Because here’s the thing, with a mental hack you can reframe your nerves to work for you… not against you.
The brain expresses similar emotions when you’re nervous and excited. You probably know what I’m talking about… increased heart rate, sweating, and butterflies in your stomach.
So instead of thinking about how nervous you are, reframe your nerves as positive emotions. Tell yourself mentally, “I’m excited, I’m excited, I’m excited.”
Since the emotions and sensation in the body are the same for both feelings, you can hijack your brain to think you’re excited. This will make it easier to swing like normal and use your emotions to your advantage.
While you might not always be able to control your body, remember that you control your mind. Breathing correctly on the golf course is a secret hack. Take a deep breath and repeat “I’m excited” when you’re feeling nervous. This one trick changed everything for me and I know it can work for you too.
Prepare for the First Tee Jitters
Even when you learn how to reframe nerves, chances are you’ll still feel those butterflies a lot on the first tee box. Usually, we make them worse by thinking that everyone is watching and have to hit a miracle shot. No matter what course or who you’re playing with, this is a shot that every golfer has some anxiety about.
When in reality, the first tee shot is just like any other shot. We just make it harder on ourselves by psyching ourselves out.
Here are some easy ways to reduce your first tee jitters:
- Arrive early so you can warm up. This way you can get adequate warm up time and not rush to the first tee. Then, take a big deep breath so your brain has more oxygen on the first tee and release any stale air to relax your body.
- Practice your first tee on the range. After going through your normal warm up, hit a few shots and pretend it’s the first tee. Imagine the first fairway and use the club that you’ll use on the first hole. Once you hit a good one, end on that shot to leave a positive memory in your mind.
- Go through your pre-shot routine. Don’t try to do anything out of the ordinary here. Pick your targets, go through your routine, and go!
These are just a few tips for the first hole but we have a lot more strategies. Click read here to our full post about first tee jitters.
Adopt a Mindfulness Practice
The mind has ruined many of the best golfers but also made great players, extraordinary ones too. The more you control your mind, the better golf you will play since it’s such a mental sport.
Think about these two examples and ask yourself who’s likely going to play better:
- Player one: Pessimistic in nature, gets angry at almost any shot, gets flustered with slow play, and constantly curses the golf Gods if he doesn’t score well.
- Player two: Optimistic in nature and grateful to be at the golf course. Appreciates his good shots and quickly gets over the bad ones because he knows that’s just part of golf. Doesn’t let outside factors like slow greens, bad weather, or slow groups affect him.
If they’re the same handicap, I bet golfer number two wins 99% of the time. Golf is too hard of a sport to make it harder with a bad attitude and negative self talk.
That’s why you need to study your mind and become more self-aware to master your mental game. Here are two strategies to help you strengthen the most important part of your game.
Click here to learn more about golf meditation.
Click here to learn more about golf hypnosis.
Stick to Your Pre-Shot Routine
While meditation and hypnosis are great tools to use before you play golf, we obviously need more tools for mid-round too. The easiest way to calm your nerves during play is to not fight them and just stick with your routine.
Your pre-shot routine is your single greatest asset on the golf course.
A good example is Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus, the two players with the most major wins ever. Both had excellent pre-shot routines that are nearly identical (in terms of total length) every single time.
No matter the pressure, they didn’t let the moment go to their head and stuck with their routine. They know that it helped keep them relaxed, focused on the shot at hand, and hitting their best shots.
Meanwhile, a bad routine can screw up your round entirely. A good example is Greg Norman in the 1996 Masters. He blew a big lead on Sunday and it cost him the green jacket.
When you watch the footage, you can see him getting faster and faster in his routine on the back nine. Coincidentally, his game fell apart.
Master your pre-shot routine on the range and stick with it on the course. Even if you’re nervous, playing great, and feeling the spectrum of emotions. It will help you stay focused, play through the butterflies, and play your best golf.
Click here to learn more about creating the perfect pre-shot routine.
Take More Deep Breaths
Sometimes we get nervous on the course because our breathing becomes inconsistent. This sends warning signals to the brain and we go into full anxiety mode.
As Healthline said, “Anxiety is your body’s natural fear response. This is known as the fight-or-flight response. Your body reacts in physical and mental ways to prepare you to either fight or run from the situation.
Shortness of breath is one of those responses. You may feel like you can’t catch your breath, tightness in your chest, or like you’re suffocating or hungry for air.”
That’s why you need to make a conscious effort to keep your breathing as normal as possible. Otherwise, you’ll accidentally signal your brain into fight or flight mode mid-round, when in reality, you’re not in danger but just forgetting to breathe.
The same Healthline article recommends diaphragmatic breathing, the most efficient type of breathing the body has. As they said, “When you’re experiencing shortness of breath, you’re generally breathing from your mouth or chest. Diaphragmatic breathing can:
- Slow your breathing rate
- Decrease your demand for oxygen
- Use less effort and energy to breathe.”
Quit Thinking About Golf
One of the best lessons I learned from sports psychologist Dr. Bob Rotella was the importance of not thinking about golf during the round. You only have so much mental energy and trying to focus on golf, golf, golf for five hours or more is exhausting.
Instead, think about it when you’re walking to your ball. Between shots, don’t talk about the round, your golf swing, or anything else golf related.
Talk about your family, movies, and anything else. This will help your mental state by keeping you fresh and not think about performance.
Minimize Swing Thoughts
Another way to calm your nervous energy is to minimize swing thoughts. Instead, only think about your pre-shot routine and maybe one non-technical swing thought.
When your can barely stand over the ball, the last thing you want to think about is a technical move in your swing. The key is to think about non-technical thoughts like “Nice and smooth backswing” or “Stay aggressive.”
This will help you become the best golfer you can be in that moment.
Stay in the Present Moment
Getting nerve wracking negative emotions can also come from thinking too far in the future. If you shoot a good front nine, it’s easy to let your mind wander and think about the back nine. Especially if you’re hitting it well and scoring better than ever.
But the key is to keep your head in the current moment and not let it dwell on bad shots you already hit or future shots you will hit. Focus on the club you have and the current shot at hand with 100% intensity.
Focus on What You Want
How many times have you had a shot over water and thought, “Don’t hit it in the water”? Then, preceded immediately to hit a terrible shot and watch your golf ball sink to the bottom of the lake?
Then your playing partners try not to laugh, you don’t know exactly what happened, and try to make sense of the poor shot. Then, you have to take another golf swing and try it all over again.
If you’re like most golfers, this has happened all too frequently.
The good news is that you can become as mentally strong as a tour player by learning to visualize success.
Quit thinking about what you don’t want to have happen and instead, focus on the shot you want to hit. This will help your mental game by signaling to your mind what you want to achieve, not what you don’t want to have happen.
Imagine the intended shot with positive energy so you can get into a great golf state of mind before you hit the shot. By focusing on what you want, it will help your subconscious mind make it happen.
Take a CBD Supplement
CBD can help you calm down when you’re out of your comfort zone and decrease anxiety and stress. According to Very Well Health, “Almost 62% of cannabidiol users say they use CBD to treat pain, anxiety, and depression.”
Plus, it can help when you’re golfing with some body aches and pain too. Heck, even tour players and athletes in other sports are using this to reduce anxiety and muscle soreness. While it’s not a
Visit a Sports Psychologist
Finally, don’t forget there are tons of other professionals out there who can help you with extreme anxiety. If you try all the above strategies and still don’t have more nerves than you are fun, seek out a pro.
Sports psychologists can use all sorts of techniques to help you play better and calm your mind. Which is why so many professional golfers use them regularly.
Click here to learn more about working with a sports psychologist.
FAQs About Nerves in Your Golf Game
Is golf good for anxiety?
If you’re an anxious person, golf might make you more anxious but it depends on the individual. I’ve seen non-anxious people get extremely anxious on the golf course so it really depends.
Unless you’re a professional golfer who is competing for millions of dollars, I don’t think a little anxiety will ruin your game.
How do you overcome frustration in golf?
Most golfers take the game too seriously (myself included). When in reality, we should all have an attitude of gratitude to play golf in the first place.
While all the tips above will help, remember that golfing with friends and family is a privilege. The more you can focus on that and quit worrying about what other golfers think or what you shoot that day, the more fun you’ll have.
Why is golf stressful?
Because one moment you can hit a great shot and feel like you’re ready to compete on the PGA Tour. Then, the next shot you can hit a skull or shank and question everything. The point is, golf is incredibly hard, but that’s why players of all calibers fall in love with the sport.
The game brings a challenge that few sports do. In fact, Steph Curry (who now holds the record for most 3-points ever), recently was asked if he would rather swish a three point shot or hit a good iron shot. He responded with, “There’s no better feeling than flushing an iron.”
That’s why players from all professional leagues like to take up golf. The challenge brings people in and once they catch the golf bug, they’re hooked for life.
Final Thoughts to Play Your Best Golf
Getting nervous when you play golf is part of life, but that’s okay. Quit trying to escape these emotions because chances are, it will never happen.
Instead, use your nerves to your advantage and remind yourself that they mean you’re excited about playing golf.
Sure, you’re bound to worry and feel them more in competition, but it’s not the end of the world. Remember, it’s just golf!
To become a better player, you need to practice these tips and keep breathing. You got this!
Here’s another guide on how to play golf under pressure. You’ll find some of the same tips but some new ones as well.
